In dramatic and no doubt exciting scenes of pro-active policing and daring-do not witnessed in this part of the world since, well, since as long as anyone can remember, the police in Essex mustered a fearless squad of otherwise unoccupied officers in full bullet-proof armour to raid an RSPCA accredited animal sanctuary last month.

It seems that the police's efforts last year in Walthamstow to smash an evil tortoise smuggling gang had not allayed concern among the quaking populace in this part of London and Essex that the problem of tortoise crime was being prioritised or dealt with harshly enough. Essex Police mounted a daring swoop.

Whether this was co-ordinated with the crack force which was formed to solve the testudine problem once and for all last year in Walthamstow is not clear from reports in the Epping Forest Guardian. Nevertheless, I am sure that tortoises will be hibernating soundly in airing cupboards all over East London knowing that maximum priority has been given to raiding an accredited animal sanctuary on everyone's behalf.

The woman who runs the sanctuary has for some reason spoken of her shock after her home was raided by police following allegations that she was selling rare tortoises illegally. Tracy Cooper runs the Small Animals Boarding and Rescue Centre at her house in Hobbs Cross Road, Theydon Garnon, Epping. She looks after 23 tortoises (8 of which are from rare species) as well as a number of ferrets and parrots. This is an activity she says she pays for from her own pocket or donations from the public.

She says she was left shaken after six officers clad in bullet-proof vests turned up saying they had a warrant for her arrest last month. Ms Cooper, who has been bailed by police until December, has protested her innocence, saying that while she has given away some of the reptiles to other families, she has only ever received donations for her centre in return.

She said: “The whole thing is just bizarre. When I realised it wasn't a wind-up or a mistake I just went into shock.

“I run this place completely voluntarily, I don't make a penny from it and it costs me around £40,000 a year to run.

“The police spent three hours turning my house upside down at taxpayers' expense and they treated me like a dangerous criminal."

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “We can confirm that a woman from Theydon Garnon is currently on police bail until early December while an investigation continues into a possible breach of the Control of Trade in Endangered Species regulations.”

The local MP, Eleanor Laing, has described the police action as "heavy handed". Meanwhile, in neighbouring Walthamstow, residents and the council are still trying to pursuade anyone who will listen (Boris Johnson, the Home Office and Scotland Yard) that the borough, with crime at well above national average rates, is short of 120 officers.

[Updated 11 November 2009]